Hello
A number of years ago Fodors’ readers helped me with Anna Maria Island, for which I am truly grateful. One reader (Oliveoyl, I think) saved me from making a real blunder with choosing a location. I am hoping people will have views with the following Agenda. For background, I like nature and beaches and my partner likes beach.

The Agenda is based on a 7 day stay as we are cruising out of Miami (Caribean)
I would very much appreciate an opinion or suggestions on accommodation (we want good value for money and not over-expensive). We fly into Miami from UK.

Miami for 1 night
Accommodation not researched

Bonita Beach or Sanibel or Marco Island for 3 nights
Westwind Inn
Sanibels Seaside Inn
Hampton Inn Bonita Springs
Marco Island (accommodation not researched)

Everglades for 1 night
Everglades Motel Homestead
Homestead Days Inn

Keys for 2 nights
Barnacle Bed and Breakfast**

Thanking you very much all your help
Steve

Bringing this back to the top for Steve

I would suggest you stay at Flamingo Lodge for the Everglades portion of your trip. It's at the end of the road that winds thru the Everglades from Florida City (near Homestead). It's not at all fancy but is clean. Best of all, you are in the heart of the Everglades. Take a look a the national park website. From Flamingo, you can rent canoes, go on a boat trip, hike, etc. It will be a more relaxed way to experience the Everglades than making the roundtrip to Flamingo in one day.

Thanks Scarlett and Keysmom. I had settled on Homestead because it was near to Miami where we pick the boat up, but I will look into the travel distance as there may be little between them.
Any readers got a view on Bonita or Marco? When I researched, I couldn't help conclude that Marco was a 'bore'; for instance, Rough Guides says there is no real good reason to go out of your way to visit it! And yet, other books make it sound very attractive.
Research into Bonita, here, suggest that Bonita is traffic riddled - we are going April/May so not peak time. Bonita was favoured because we could journey up to Sanibel (my favourite) and down to Naples and Marco etc - but I await views on this.

I take it you are working on one year from now?

Bonita is a great and bustling area -- but primarily as a land of nice golfing and gated communities sprinkled with a few chain type motels. There's not a lot on Bonita beach except some private residences. I'd think you might want to stay at Vanderbilt Beach -- perhaps the not so expensive Vanderbilt Inn at the north end, where you can still go north or south fairly easily (and we REALLY do think the construction on 41 will be FINISHED by next year at this time).

Marco has a wonderful beach, and is a good spot to go if you want to just hole up there for a couple days and vegetate on the beach. But it is far removed from visiting other places, and other than the beach I'd say that yes, most people would consider it a "bore".

My vote would be for Sanibel.
Sanibel is beautiful and very relaxing. Great beaches and the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to visit on Sanibel. Many restaurants on Sanibel and Captiva. Many of the accomodations are right on the beach.
I know you would not be disappointed!

Thankyou Patrick and Ksanders. Vanderbilt Inn looks a treat, and not unreasonably priced. It is certainly more affordable than Sanibel, which I can visit from Vanderbilt. I think I have now settled on my itinerary. Many thanks.
Steve